Basal stem rot (BSR) is a disease of oil palms caused by species of the fungus Ganoderma, and in particular G. boninense. BSR is considered to be the most destructive disease in the oil palm industry in Southeast Asia.
Infections appear to advance more quickly in subsequent generations of oil palm planting because of accumulation of inoculums, and the possibility of evolution of more virulent strains of the pathogen. The mating system of G. boninense strongly favours outcrossing and this provides a possible mechanism for the selection of pathogen virulence.
Traditionally, the disease was managed by attempting to minimise the incidence and mitigating the impact of the disease. More recently, biological controls such as antagonistic fungi e.g. Trichoderma species have been tested, but although they appeared promising at first, there were issues with sustainability and persistency in the field.
An aim of the invention is therefore to provide a product and method for managing the oil palm disease which overcomes the above issues.